


San Lorenzo

by ginnyred



Category: SKAM (Italy)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Post-Canon, Stargazing, Summer, Wishes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-13
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-06-27 14:51:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19793164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginnyred/pseuds/ginnyred
Summary: The night air in Bracciano is hot and still, the sharp smell of cigarette smoke mixed with the lemon grass they are burning to keep away the mosquitoes making Marti drowsy and his mind slow.Occasionally, there's a light breeze – coming into the garden from the lake, sudden and cool, offering a few moments of respite from the heat. It's not much, but it's enough to keep them where they are, lying on their backs on the grass, looking up at the night sky.





	San Lorenzo

**Author's Note:**

> San Lorenzo (Saint Lawrence's Day) is on August 10th. It's famous in Italy for being the night of the shooting stars.

The night air in Bracciano is hot and still, the sharp smell of cigarette smoke mixed with the lemon grass they are burning to keep away the mosquitoes making Marti drowsy and his mind slow.

Occasionally, there's a light breeze – coming into the garden from the lake, sudden and cool, offering a few moments of respite from the heat. It's not much, but it's enough to keep them where they are, lying on their backs on the grass, looking up at the night sky.

“Are you sure it's the right day? I don't see shit.”

Elia scoffs. Marti can't see his face, as he's lying at Nico's other side, but he can picture him rolling his eyes at Luca.

“Saint Lawrence's Day is always on August 10th, Luchì. It's, like, his... birthday or whatever.” Elia's tone gets more defensive the less sure he realises he is of what he's saying. “It can't move around.”

“Easter moves around,” Luca insists stubbornly. “Are you telling me that putting off the Resurrection is fine but God forbid we are late for a random guy's birthday?”

“It's more likely that's the day he died,” Gio chimes in from where is lying at Marti's left. He sounds amused.

“Whatever. Who's this Lawrence supposed to be, anyway? What's his business making the stars fall?”

“Nico, your dad teaches astrophysics, doesn't he?” Marti can hear the smile in Gio's voice. “Ask him why this Lawrence guy makes the stars fall.”

Marti hears Nico's laugh almost directly in his right ear.

“The day I want to be disowned I will,” he says, and the boys giggle. Nico pokes Marti in the ribs. “Hey, you're quiet.”

Marti turns his head towards him, their eyes meet – the far light of the porch casting the most peculiar shadows on their faces – and Marti smiles.

_It's fine._

He's just savouring the moment, really.

“Yeah, I don't have anything dumb enough to say to join to this conversation,” he replies, but the sarcasm sounds weak to his own ears. He's too content right now to make an effort. “Has anyone seen a single shooting star the whole time we've been out here, by the way?”

“Nope, but that's the fun of it, right? Waiting,” Gio says, and his tone suggests that he expects them to agree.

“Yeah, the most fun I've ever had.”

Marti giggles when Gio smacks him on his shoulder without even turning to look.

There is a pause in which they all look up, but nothing seems to be moving up there. Marti loses focus for a few seconds, distracted by the way the smoke from Elia's cigarette curls upwards in elegant curves and then appears to vanish mid-air, like by magic.

“What are you wishing for, anyway?” Luca asks, and Marti snaps back to reality. “You've got to think about it before because they're, like, really fast.”

“Who?” Marti asks, confused.

“The stars!”

“Oh. They're more like meteors, though, aren't they?”

“Whatever, man.” Marti hears Luca huff, annoyed, from where he's lying at Elia's right. “Point is: the only time I saw a shooting star I didn't have my wish ready and it disappeared before I could think of one. So, like. Do you guys have your wishes ready? I'm wishing to pass the Greek exam in September.”

“Oh, right,” Gio says. “Is the playstation ban still on?”

Luca groans.

“Yeah, until I pass. _If_ I pass.”

“You'll pass, man, they never fail anyone in September,” Elia offers in a surprisingly gentle tone. Marti can't see, but he's almost sure Elia pats Luca's arm reassuringly. “I'm wishing for my dad to stop dating the Woman from Hell.”

“Is this the policewoman?” Luca asks.

“Yeah.”

“Wait. Your dad's dating a policewoman?” Nico says.

“I mean, she's not an _actual_ policewoman, but I feel like that's her true calling.” Elia scoffs and puts on a ridiculously high-pitched voice: 'Where are you going Elia?', 'When are you coming back, Elia?', 'Are you even allowed to go out three nights in a row, Elia?', 'I really don't think it's a good idea you borrow the car again, Elia.' Jeez, calm down. You don't even _live_ here.”

“Oh, wow,” Marti offers quietly in sympathy. Elia had mentioned his dad's new partner before, but he hadn't really gone into much detail. “And I thought those cringey facebook posts were bad.” He sees Nico turn to look at him, eyebrows raised, and Marti scrunches up his nose at him, mocking. “I mean, they definitely are, but. At least Paola couldn't care less about me.”

“Yeah, lucky you,” Elia offers, sarcastic but not bitter. He takes one last drag before putting out his cigarette on the grass. “Gio? Any wishes?”

Marti tenses up. He's pretty sure he knows what Gio will be wishing for. And he's almost as sure that Gio won't talk about it.

The break-up hit him hard: Marti didn't really know what to say when Gio showed up at his place one afternoon in July and told him he and Sofia had broken up. He looked like he had cried, his eyes red and swollen.

Marti had never felt so useless. They hugged and smoked on the balcony and played FIFA for a while. In the end, Gio only whispered it, almost a sigh, his eyes vacant though seemingly fixed on the screen – but Marti caught it anyway.

_“I always ruin everything.”_

The words hurt Marti almost physically.

_Gio._

He didn't give himself any time to think about it – he never would have done it otherwise. He just did it. He kissed Gio on the forehead. Slowly, carefully, cradling his face. The way he does with Nico when words are not enough.

“It's not you, I promise,” Marti said, feeling every syllable. “Believe me. It's not you.”

Gio looked up at him, eyes wide and wet and slightly lost, but curved his lips up in a small sad smile.

The same smile he gives him now when Marti turns to him and reaches out to touch Gio's wrist with the tip of his fingers.

_It's okay._

“Gio?” Luca repeats, encouraging, and Gio sighs.

“I'm wishing for my brother to stop bothering me with wanting to learn the guitar,” he says in the end. There is a pause, and Marti can almost feel Gio weigh his own words, worried it might not be enough. “Little shit,” he adds after a couple of seconds, as an afterthought.

“That's kinda sweet, though,” Nico offers with a grin.

Marti didn't tell Nico what Gio said, figured it's not his place to tell. Nico reads him well, though, and while he might have missed Gio's discomfort he definitely picked up on Marti's worry.

“Do _you_ want to teach him?” Gio snorts, but he sounds a bit grateful that Nico didn't question his wish. “He's all yours.”

Marti interlaces his fingers with Nico's and smiles when Nico squeezes his hand in response.

“Nico? Marti? Wishes?” Luca cuts in curiously.

“Oh shit,” Nico mutters, and Marti chuckles. He knows where Nico is going with this. He starts stroking the back of his hand with his thumb.

_In your own time, Ni._

_And only if you want to._

“I'm wishing for time to slow down,” Nico says slowly, like he's genuinely thinking about the possibility. Marti smiles at how little Nico had to think about this before deciding he wanted to share. “So this summer can last forever and I don't have to worry about uni.”

“You'll get in for sure,” Luca says with confidence. “They'll take one look at your stuff and be like 'holy shit you're a genius where have you been all this time?'”

“Thank you, Lu.” Nico smiles. He kisses his own fingers and extend his right hand over Elia, as if to blow a kiss to Luca on the other side. “Not that the thought of getting in is any less scary, but. Yeah, thanks.”

“You'll do great.” Marti lifts their entwined hands to his face and lays a quick kiss on Nico's knuckles. “You'll do great and everyone will love you.”

“Not too much, though,” Elia says, and Marti can hear him snicker. “Or Marti will have to fight the whole department and I don't like his chances.”

“Shut up.”

“Are you saying you _wouldn't_ try and fight the whole department?”

Marti shrugs and turns to look at Nico. He grins in anticipation.

“For what? Having good taste?”

Nico beams at him, pleased and a little bit surprised – direct compliments are not Marti's forte, they both know it. He keeps trying, though – and the boys all groan.

It only makes them smile more.

“I feel like puking.” Marti can _feel_ Elia roll his eyes at them. “When are you two breaking up so I can have some peace?”

“Oh, man, good luck with that,” Gio jokes, and Marti stretches his neck so he can look at him properly.

His smile is big and genuine, the hint of a knowing look in his eyes, like he knows what Marti is thinking. Gio doesn't resent him. Marti never thought he would but-

He squeezes Gio's wrist and hopes it conveys everything Marti cannot say.

“Yeah, good luck.”

Marti rolls on his right side to lay a kiss on Nico's shoulder though the fabric of his t-shirt. He makes to move away, but Nico keeps him there with a hand on his hip and, well, it's no secret that it doesn't take much for Marti to be persuaded.

He kisses Nico's shoulder again and settles more comfortably against him by throwing an arm across his waist.

Elia scoffs.

“I'm cursed with the two of you forever then. Great.”

It's an insult, it's supposed to be an insult – but Marti feels Nico let out a deep breath at Elia's casual “forever”. It's like his whole body relaxes, it almost melts into Marti's loose embrace. Marti holds him a little tighter and smiles against the fabric of his shirt.

“Marti? You haven't made a wish yet,” Luca says, and Marti laughs quietly, almost to himself.

“Haven't I?” The words come out muffled and a bit funny from the way his mouth is pressed against Nico's shirt. He smiles at his own silliness, looks up at Nico, and follows his line of sight to the sky above.

It looks even prettier like this. While he's holding Nico close. Letting the beauty and stillness of the night wash over him, or maybe projecting them onto the summer night himself. He doesn't know.

“Hey!” Gio points up, crying out in surprise, but Marti has already seen it.

A sudden trail of light, fine and silvery. Incredibly quick.

“Did you see that? Did you?!” Luca shouts excitedly. “I told you they're fast!”

They are, but Marti's wish is ready – the thought over in the blink of an eye, yet its impression strangely lingering. Like a shooting star.

_Forever._


End file.
